Midnight Asunder
by Loverofbothsexes5102
Summary: When the dark lord Voldemort killed Lily and James Potter on that fateful Halloween night, one baby boy became the boy-who-lived and instantly became famous. After his sixteenth birthday, Harry Potter's world will be torn apart. New alliances are forged and when an unlikely alliance develops, Harry will have to trust his heart to guide him the way. Slash, Het, eventual SNARRY
1. Prolouge

Midnight Asunder

**A/N**: I am back from years long hiatus! Wohoo! Yes, sorry not that exciting but it is definitely exciting for me. It has been a long, hard road with many roadblocks in it and although I am about 10 years older since my first fic- Just Friendship? I believe that my writing and voice has improved tremendously!

**Notes**: Midnight Asunder will be a long, multi-chaptered story. I will update once a week either on Saturday or Sunday, when my schedule permits.

**Warnings**: Violence, angst, gore, Dumbledore bashing, dark magic, rituals, ambivalent/grey Harry, het, and slash. Romance with many characters until the eventual final pairing. Although this fic is listed as slash and Snarry, the story does not start out that way. I am going to try to make this fic as real to life as possible, especially dealing with issues like identity and sexuality. Basically it will take Harry many years to realize his sexuality and identity, and many years for the development of his relationship with Snape (no chan or underage Harry). Each arc of this fic will be separated into parts. Each part can be separated by days, months and even years.

**Synopsis**: When the dark lord Voldemort killed Lily and James Potter on that fateful Halloween night, one baby boy became the boy-who-lived and instantly became famous. The tragic death of the Potters will have long-standing detrimental effects that the wizarding world will not see coming. When one famous wizard turns 16, the wizarding world will enter into chaos but who said that chaos was necessarily bad. This story is about how long-perceived viewpoints can change, how love can become hatred, how courage can fail turning the most courageous into sniveling cowards, and how friendship can stand the test of time. After many years of lies, whispers and manipulation of his world, Harry Potter must figure out who to trust and how the most unlikely of alliances can save his life and the world.

**Disclaimer:** J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros pictures own Harry Potter and its various names and titles. I gain no monetary value and only gain in continuing appreciation of Rowling's great imagination.

**Prologue**

Sixteen Years Earlier

The moon casts long shadows along the empty road with only mice and other pests for company-the small house at the end of the road looked desolate. There stood heaping piles of rubbish littered throughout the street, where none but the most desperate of individuals would rifle for scraps of food already half-eaten by the vermin of the world.

Scattered throughout the street there lay broken pieces of corrugating metal and rotten wood, where the metal gleamed dully in the flickering lamp posts at every intersection of empty warehouses and factories. Where once stood bustling factories that sent smoke and grit onto the sky, with people and Lorries coming and going, industry at its best. There now stood empty skeletons of their former glory; all was left were squatters of homeless people around the rusted fences rummaging for scraps of copper and other useful materials. At times young teenagers coming from the nearby city would also decide to throw loud, raucous parties that sometimes the police would come in and break up.

Tonight was not one of those nights and at the turn of midnight, not a soul was about- not even the most daring youth was espied in the desolate neighborhood. So it came to surprise to some bold mice that one single lone figure wrapped in what seemed like a dark cloak, appeared in the middle of the empty street. The woman appeared with a loud crack that shook the piles of debris and some rats around the end of the lone street

She set off at a hurried pace that seemed to underlie a feeling of desperation and mystery. At every corner of each intersection, the woman paused and looked behind her shoulder to make sure that she wasn't being followed. When the woman finally saw the dilapidated house at the end of road surrounded by a chain link fence that read KEEP OUT! DANGER! , she took a sigh of relief. If anyone would have been watching it would have seemed odd to them that this house was indeed her nearest destination. She took out a long stick and tapped the chain link fence three times which made an arched doorway appear out of thin air. The woman disappeared through it and as she walked through the arched doorway it vanished as quickly as it came, the chain link fence stood as normal as before. In reality to muggles this would have been indeed strange, bizarre even if any muggles would have been about but to those familiar to these phenomena knew what it really was- magic.

To the woman's eyes the abandoned house vanished and what appeared was a warm, cozy house with a gold glow that could only come from a fire peeking through the front windows. She walked hesitantly through the cobbled path being careful not to crush the Begonias lining the path. She stepped up the steps and knocked on the green door. The bundle in her arms moved a bit and made a small protesting noise, she instantly whispered soft words to the bundle and the bundle quieted down again. Some shuffling footsteps were heard beyond the door and the door opened letting soft candlelight glow onto the doorstep and the cloaked woman. And old woman looked at the cloaked figure and let her pass through, no words were needed.

The cloaked woman began to speak but the old woman interrupted her,

"You decided to come, good. All might be saved in time." The cloaked woman gasped and said,

"I have to save him, he has to be saved. I couldn't stand it if…." She said as she grabbed the old woman's hands desperately.

"With my help, he will be. Come and sit. Milk and sugar with your tea?"

"I…" The cloaked woman sat in the nearby love seat.

"I insist dear, chamomile will calm the nerves." The old woman told the woman. With one arm holding the bundle, she hesitantly took the offered tea cup and saucer. The woman nervously took a look around the house and saw many pillowcases scattered throughout the sofa and chairs. The warm hearth danced merrily and instantly warmed her icy cold hands.

"Don't worry dear, the fireplace is protected against unwanted visitors" The old woman spoke quietly. The house was comfortable looking and looked lived in but was devoid of clutter. Reds, browns and oranges surrounded the living room and instantly reminded the woman of her childhood and better times. A small kitchen could be seen to her right, where delicious smells wafted through, especially the smell of freshly baked bread which seem to beckon to her and reminded her how long it has been since she has eaten. A small tea table held the most curious of objects which included a tea set, some crushed herbs, potion ingredients, a knife, a mortar and pestle, an ink pot , brush and a moving picture of a young man smiling with his arm around a lovely girl's shoulders. To the left of the woman's high back chair was a basket that held spools of yarn and some knitting needles. Low sconces on the walls held candles that burned low, the wax dripping slowly almost non-existent. Some nearby bookshelves held what appeared to be big tomes with titles like _How to get rid of gnomes, pixies and more. Permanently! , _and _Ancient Potions Most Feared_. The woman was shaken out of her reverie when the old woman cleared her throat,

"I am glad you have come. I almost thought you would have decided not to." The woman glanced at the worried look of the elder woman's face and said quietly,

"I had to be certain. . . I certainly wish I didn't have to come", while taking a soft sip of her tea.

"It is the right time to do this ritual; the alignment of the stars is perfect and the age of the babe is just perfect for such an ancient spell" she said in a quiet, hushed voice that bespoke of a former strength. The elder woman had long grey hair that was braided neatly down her back. She had wrinkles around her eyes and mouth that hinted at an easy ability to laugh. Her large but wise brown eyes looked at the bundle in the woman's arms tenderly but hesitant. She was wearing a grey robe with vines and flowers decorating the sleeves and neckline. Her kind face was comforting and the woman relaxed her shoulders a bit.

"It is alright to be afraid my dear. Anyone in your position would be. It is important to note though that despite your fear you are here. I take it that husband of yours has no idea that you are here?" The woman blushed and looked at the bundle in her arms sleeping softly,

"I gave him a sleeping draught hidden in his supper."

"You always were a clever witch; I am just as convinced that you would have done well in Ravenclaw house as you did in Gryffindor. May I see him?" the old woman gestured at the bundle and the woman putting down her tea cup hesitated for a second before handing the bundle to the woman.

"It is alright. He will be perfectly safe," the old woman assured her. The old woman immediately put her hand on the babes forehead, closed her eyes and began to whisper,

"Yes he will be strong. I can see him now," she spoke reverently. The old woman transfigured an empty tea cup into a bassinet and placed the babe in securing him with blankets.

"Yes, yes it is time." She said. The room suddenly began to darken and the fire in the hearth lowered almost completely. The old woman's face was cast in shadow and a low but feverish voice started chanting. The various ingredients, herbs and materials started to glow and rise in the air to meet her voice. Taking the various herbs and potion ingredients she started to crush them with her mortar and pestle which turned to a green paste and spread it on the babe's forehead. Unwrapping his blankets, she started to draw runes on his body with her brush on his face. Each time she completed writing a rune, the babe started to glow in a gold color. He started to cry and his mother clutched her hands together to stop herself from wrenching her child from the bassinet. The old woman's chanting increased feverously and as the babe cried harder, the glow suddenly increased which caused his mother to close her eyes automatically; the light too bright to handle. The chanting stopped as sudden as it came and the room returned to being merry and cozy. The babe stopped crying and fell into a long slumber; the old woman picking him up wrapped him up again in his blankets and handed the babe to his mother.

"Was the ritual successful? Will he be safe?" she asked the old woman who was now exhausted and slumped over in her high rise chair.

"Yes, it is done. He will be safe or I am not a master of blood contractual spells", the old woman said weakly from her chair. The woman gazed lovingly at her child and said,

"I see no difference in him."

"At his sixteenth birthday the spells' ritual will have awoken in him and he will be better than before. He will be able to defeat his enemies. For he is coming for you, the master of death and shadow" the old woman said in a still exhausted voice.

"Dumbledore said that the fidelis should be enough to protect us" the woman spoke quietly.

"What does that old fool know about ancient blood spells? He has hopes that his manipulations and schemes will be enough to protect that boy there in your arms. With his so-called light magic? I think not. He is a blind optimist and that will eventually catch up to him someday", the old woman spoke as she glanced at the clock behind her.

"I should be going, thank you for everything. I don't know what I would do without your help." The woman stood up covering one her head with her cloak once more.

"I knew the times must be dire when I received your message. When my old apprentice comes to me in secret for protection, I would do anything to help." The old woman stood up and hugged the woman carefully around the sleeping babe.

"Mistress . . . , I don't know what to say. I regret now for how things ended between us."

"Oh, hush", the old woman chortled, "A little bit of adventure is good for these old bones of mine now and again. Be sure to send me some of those delicious tarts of yours whenever you can," she winked and walked to see her out the door. The woman smiled and opened the door onto the dark night ahead; bringing a cold breeze into the warm house.

"I fear that his will be my last time that I will see you my dear. For the next time will surely be in the afterlife." The woman hesitated on the doorway and looked back saying and choking with grief and desperation,

"I. . ."

"Lily Evans-Potter. Nothing you can do will save you and James against the coming darkness. He will come to you in six months time and you will die. I have seen it in the stars." The old woman said with melancholy. Lily Potter looked down at her sleeping son and fearfully said, "I know."

"Gods bless you Lily Potter" the old woman said as she closed the door. Lily Potter stepped down the steps, onto the path and into the dark night once more. A silent pop shook the air and as sudden as Lily Potter appeared she vanished once more.


	2. Standing on the Edge of a Cliff

Harry stood at the edge of a cliff that seemed impossible, even with magic. It seemed impossible because when Harry looked at the edge- a giant abyss loomed at him. There was something about this abyss hat neither frightened or repulsed him. He go the sense that what lay in the dark abyss was important somehow in what way he could not guess.

The wind blowing from the nearby mountains was at once freezing and biting, so much that Harry felt his face go numb. The wind howled at brought a sense of desolation which coincided with how Harry had been feeling as of late.

The abyss seemed to grow deeper and darker, a feat that would have been impossible in ordinary circumstances. As Harry stood at the precipice and kneeled down in the rocky edge to get a closer look he heard a sound come from within the abyss. What started with barely noticeable whispers was soon followed b drums that shook the ground and air louder and louder and Harry could have sworn that each drumbeat was his heart. Harry was kneeling and shaking, his whole body was covered in sweat when a scream pierced the air. The sound was so deafening that it tore at his eardrums and Harry put his hands over his ears to stop the incessant screams but to his horror found that his ears were bleeding. Harry screamed at the sight of blood that coated his hands, his breathing became shallower and he felt his own throat close up. Harry lay on the harsh, rocky ground and felt paralyzed with fear because he couldn't breathe. He felt his head become lighter, his vision become darker at each passing second he didn't breathe, when suddenly he heard it. A woman's voice that said,

"Soon"

Seeing black, Harry closed his eyes and gave up to the darkness that was inevitable. The last sensation he felt was blood leaking out of his ears, his eardrums burst open and the darkness pulled him under.

Harry woke up in his small, narrow bed gasping for air. Every single night since Sirius died Harry had the same dream that turned into a nightmare and inevitably his death. Gasping for air, Harry felt his sweat trickle down his spine and shivered when the warm, summer breeze drifted from his bedroom windows. Harry quietly go up and opened his door to the bathroom down the hall. He stood at the sink, still shaking from his death. He looked at the bathroom mirror and wasn't surprised that he looked haggard, dark circles under his eyes making him appear sickly.

"I suppose dreaming about one's death will do that you every night". He said softly to himself. Quickly turning on the faucet and cupping his hands in the water he splashed his face and filled water in an empty cup placed on the ledge of the tiny sink. Harry felt as good as he could went back to his room slowly, creeping pass the door to his Aunt and Uncle's bedroom. He entered his own cramped, dusty bedroom and closed the door. Hedwig was in her cage on his desk softly hooted at him in to his ears a concerned way.

"I'm alright girl. I know they're just dreams." Harry said to Hedwig as he went up to her cage and slowly patted at her through her bars. Harry relaxed at the feeling of her soft, snowy white feathers on his fingers and gave Hedwig an owl treat from a package next to her cage.

"I suppose you want to hunt girl?" Harry asked softly at her, trying to not wake up his Aunt and Uncle in the next room. At this Hedwig hooted encouragingly at Harry and pecked his fingers softly thanking him. Hedwig flew out of her cage into the night sky, her wings looking like moonlight on the sea. Harry watched her fly away until he could see her no more and decided to go back to sleep, if only for a few hours. If only Harry had a dreamless potion, that way he would make sure that he wouldn't dream that terrifying dream that shook his whole body just thinking about it. He knew this was a futile option because asking Hermione or Ron would only lead to questions, questions that Harry didn't want to answer.

Harry climbed wearily back into his small, creaky bed with its mussed, messy sheets and dusty headboard and slowly felt himself relaxing slowly back into sleep. This time filled with dreams that Harry would soon forget as soon as he greeted the morning sky.

"Harry Potter you wake up this instant!" Harry's Aunt Petunia voice shrilled in the early morning air and instantly woke him up from a pleasant dream involving treacle tart and soft fluffy clouds. Harry reached for his glasses at his bedside table and wearily got out of bed.

"Coming Aunt Petunia" Harry blearily said shaking sleep from his eyes. Harry went quickly downstairs and into the kitchen at the back of the house. The kitchen was spotless, the counters were shining white and if Harry didn't know any better it could have only come from magic. His Aunt Petunia a skinny woman with an unnaturally long neck and shrewd disposition was putting a kettle to boil on the stove. Harry automatically found the pans to for frying up eggs and sausages and quickly started morning breakfast. About twenty minutes later he heard loud footsteps coming down the stairs and knew that his Uncle Vernon was awake.

"The breakfast better be ready boy. I have an early morning meetings with an important client today at Smeltings and will not be late" His Uncle Vernon said as he got his large frame into the small kitchen chair. Harry was honestly surprised that the long abused kitchen chair hadn't broken from his Uncle's massive frame into tiny pieces.

"I wish I could use magic outside of school, seeing Uncle Vernon or Dudley on the floor after hitting a _repulso_ spell at the chair would make my whole summer" Harry thought to himself feeling particularly vengeful. Harry handed his Uncle his plate of breakfast full of toast with butter, fried sausages and eggs and a steaming cup of black coffee Harry unwillingly sat down at the table and saw that his Aunt Petunia had already placed his breakfast which consisted of lumpy oatmeal and dry pieces of toast with watered down tea to wash it down at his spot at the table.

"Hurry up and finish your breakfast, you have a long day of chores ahead of you Potter" His Aunt Petunia said to Harry the minute he finished his breakfast and Harry saw that on the kitchen counter the list full of menial and tedious chores lay was indeed waiting for him. Harry sighed and said sarcastically,

"Yes, Aunt Petunia".

"Don't take that tone boy, I don't want any lazy, good-for-nothing. scrounger in my house. Especially after taking you in and feeding, clothing you and even giving you Dudley's spare bedroom out of the goodness of our own hearts." His Uncle said to him, his face become redder at each passing second.

"Yeah give me scraps for food and clothes and only giving me Dudley's bedroom after the fiasco with the owls and Hagrid before first year, yes how charitable". Harry thought to himself bitterly

"Dudley still asleep?" Uncle Vernon asked his Aunt between mouthfuls of sausage and egg.

"He didn't come home until close to three in the morning, Vernon." Aunt Petunia said while nursing a cup of tea and a slice of toast.

"Just like his old man" Uncle Vernon said with a puffed out chest, apparently being a teenage delinquent was something to be proud of. Harry snickered quietly to himself just thinking about Dudley looking like a walrus like his Uncle Vernon.

"You got something to say boy?" His uncle asked him

"Oh nothing Uncle Vernon. Just that you must be so proud of dear old Dudders" Harry said as innocently as possible, hoping to rile up the big walrus of a man.

Uncle Vernon finding nothing particularly wrong with that statement glared at him for a few seconds before he got up and kissed Aunt Petunia on her cheek and waddled to the front door to his car on his way to his very important morning meeting. An awkward silence descended on the quiet, clean kitchen until Aunt Petunia got up and handed Harry the list that lay on the counter.

"Here's a list of all the chores you have to finish Potter. When you finish most of them you may have your lunch. You may start with cleaning up breakfast but remember to leave a plate for Dudley." The horsey woman told Harry as she left the kitchen to the living room window to begin spying on her neighbors. Harry gave a look at the long list and groaned at the number of chores he had to today. Cleaning the outside windows three times this week seemed a little excessive even to Petunia Dursleys' standards.

"Think of it this way Harry", Harry thought to himself, "at least this way you can forget about Sirius, the dream about your death and every other messed up thing in your life." Soon thinking about dreams much less anything became too difficult something that Harry was truly grateful for.

Harry laid on the grass feeling sore, sweaty and tired, he felt satisfied in the way that you feel after a hard day's work but felt the heat and boredom start to encroach slowly like the slow rising tide of the ocean on a warm summer day. After finishing up all his chores, eating a lunch that left much to be desired, he had nothing to do. Having already finished his summer homework in the first week of summer, he had absolutely nothing to do. Instead of Harry lying on his bed in his tiny, cramped and dusty room, Harry had started to wander the nearby neighborhood after dinner every night and had found to his delight the same houses on every street, people watching telly that glowed through their living room curtains, with every so often an abandoned park filled with tossed candy wrappers and empty fizzy drinks bottles. So it was much to Harry's surprise that he heard laughter and a girl's voice singing in a clear voice a rock song that was way before her time. Harry contemplated leaving his rather comfortable swing where he knew he would sit mindlessly staring at the sky for the next few hours until 10 till eleven, wishing he were at Hogwarts with his friends or he could go see where that girl with the lovely voice was headed to. Having nothing to lose, Harry got up from the swing and headed in the same direction where he thought the girl and her group of friends were headed. He soon spotted the girl and her group of friends and watched them enter a nondescript house where he could hear the loud, pumping dance music which shook Harry's body every step he crept closer. He slowly opened the plain wooden door and saw to his surprise a stage where the kitchen should be and was hit with the loudest music that he had ever heard. He saw people dancing with abandon at every inch of the house in a way that made Harry blush. Harry immediately felt too warm, and was soon swamped with the dizzying smell of perfume, sweat, beer and a smell that Harry recognized from Dudley's night wanderings. Harry hesitated close to the door and decided to head back home where he didn't feel overwhelmed and adrift in the sea of bodies. Harry started to turn the sticky knob on the front door when he heard a girls voice say,

"Hi." Harry turned around and saw the most beautiful girl he had ever seen looking at him as if she had been expecting Harry all her life.

"I was wondering when you were going to come after me." She said and Harry realized it was the same girl he had followed on the street.


End file.
